Instant Pot Lasagna + Tutorial

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Instant Pot Lasagna is a flavourful and easy recipe made even easier by using your pressure cooker! No need to pre-boil your noodles, just break evenly and layer with your other ingredients. Modifications for Vegetarian dieters available.

Folks, you know how much I just looooooooooooooooove my Instant Pot. Today I have for you a cheesy and hearty Instant Pot Lasagna that will change the way you make lasagna.

Lasagna is a cheesy comforting meal that can definitely feed a crowd. And if I can replace making a meal in my oven, especially around the holidays I’m alllllllllll for it. Less fighting with my family over precious oven space and temperature wars and MORE eating my delicious recipes.

And if we’re being honest, everyone will be impressed when you make a lasagna for your holiday spread. They know just how time consuming creating those perfect layers can be and you know that your secret weapon (aka the Instant Pot) will be the one to thank.

This is also a great recipe to make ahead for lunches throughout the week if you’re looking for a hearty and filling lunch. We were all full from our dinner and had enough for leftovers for the next day.

I love how easy it is to customise Instant Pot Lasagna. You can change the meat up or leave it out completely. You can add some hidden veggies for your picky eaters or layer the veggies with the noodles to impress your foodie friends.

Instant Pot Lasagna Materials

KITCHEN TOOLS, UTENSILS & APPLIANCES  NEEDED

This post contains affiliate links. For more information, check out my disclosure.

Here are some of the items you will need to make this recipe.

Are you ready to make Instant Pot Lasagna? Gather your ingredients and I’ll show you how…………………….

How to Make Instant Pot Lasagna Step by Step

  1. Turn the Instant Pot on to sauté, add the ground beef and brown.
  2. Remove any liquid from the beef and add in Italian seasoning, onion powder and garlic powder and switch off the heat. Stir in the spaghetti sauce.
  3. Mix the cheeses together in a small bowl.
  4. Grab a 7-inch springform pan and layer ingredients: start with noodles broken up to fit the pan, and then one third of the ground beef mixture and 1 third of the cheese. Repeat with a 2nd layer starting again with the noodles, then meat sauce then cheese. Finally make your 3rd layer and then cover the lasagna with foil.
  5. Add 1 1/2 cups of water to the Instant Pot. Put the covered lasagna pan on top of trivet and lower into the Instant Pot insert.
  6. Place the lid on top and secure the lid. Make sure valve is set to sealing. Set the manual pressure cook button to 20 mins.
  7. Once the timer beeps let the pressure release naturally for 10 mins, then perform a quick pressure release.
  8. Remove the lasagna from the Instant Pot.
  9. Remove foil and cook under the broiler for a few mins until the cheese is brown and bubbly.

Making the lasagna….

All the lovely cheese..

Instant Pot Lasagna Tips

  • Covering the lasagna will help with any condensation that may occur in the Instant Pot. You can dab any condensation off if you forget to cover but I highly recommend covering.
  • Your best bet will be oven ready lasagna noodles but I have heard that some people use regular lasagna noodles with no problem. I haven’t experimented with this yet.
  • Break the lasagna noodles into pieces to fit into the pan. Don’t worry about any jagged edges or making it fit “perfectly.” Cover any holes you see and move onto the next layer.
  • You can add veggies and different meat. Check out the section below “Customising Instant Pot Lasagna” for more ideas.
  • In a pinch, you can swap out cottage cheese for ricotta cheese. It adds a different flavour and texture to your lasagna and will work if your store is out of ricotta cheese.

landscape image of cooked instant pot lasagna

What If I Don’t Have a Springform Pan?

Unlike Crockpot Lasagna, you can’t just layer your lasagna in your Instant Pot. The bottom will burn and it’ll be an absolute disaster. Don’t even try it.

You will need a pan suitable for the Instant Pot that will sit on the trivet that came with your Instant Pot. I used the 7-inch springform pan because I like how I can remove the ring and slice right into the lasagna when it is time to serve.

If you don’t have a springform pan you can also use a casserole dish or a cake pan that fits inside your Instant Pot. But I highly recommend getting a springform pan to make this Instant Pot Lasagna and other Instant Pot recipes.

How to Make Instant Pot Lasagna Vegetarian

One of the best things about Instant Pot Lasagna is all the ways you can make it. Making Instant Pot Lasagna vegetarian is soooooooooo easy.

Simply remove any traces of meat in the recipe and make the pressure cooker lasagna without it. Your pressure cooker lasagna will still come out flavourful and delicious.

What are Oven Ready Lasagna Noodles?

Oven ready lasagna noodles (also known as no-boil noodles) are precooked and then dehydrated before packaging. You may notice that oven ready noodles are slightly thinner than the traditional versions. This allows the moisture from the lasagna sauce to soften the noodles during the cooking process.Completed Instant Pot Lasagna served on a white plate and sitting in front of the Instant Pot

Customising Pressure Cooker Lasagna

In addition to making your Instant Pot Lasagna a vegetarian dish, you can really customise your lasagna to use up whatever you have on hand in your pantry. Italian sausage and ground turkey are great substitutes for the ground beef.

Seasonings will be your friend if you’re looking to up the Italian flavour. Adding fresh herbs or dried spices always elevates your sauce. I typically have a jar of spaghetti sauce in my pantry and add herb seasonings to make it tastier. Adding in herbs and spices to your jarred sauce is a great way to make it your own and perfect for your Instant Pot Lasagna.

You can also easily sneak veggies into your Instant Pot Lasagna. Spinach, mushrooms, zucchini or peppers are all great additions. Just chop up into small bits and add to your sauce, perfect if you’ve got a picky eater. Another delicious option would be creating a veggie layer for added colour and flavour.

Oven Baked Lasagna

If you don’t have an Instant Pot, you can make delicious oven-baked lasagna instead. Follow the same recipe below for ingredients and how to put your lasagna together.

  • Preheat oven to 200C/180C fan/ and 400F gas 6.
  • Cook for 35-40 mins until brown on the top and crisp around the edges.
  • Let your lasagna settle for 10 mins before cutting into and serving.

Crockpot Lasagna

If you’re looking to save on oven space but have some time before needing to serve your lasagna, check out Crockpot Lasagna.

  • First, brown the meat in a skillet, drain and return to the skillet with your sauce.
  • Layer your lasagna noodles, cheese and meat sauce right in the Crockpot.
  • Cook on Low for 4-6 hrs and let stand 10 mins before serving.Top down view of the completed Instant Pot Lasagna on a white serving plate

How To Freeze Instant Pot Lasagna

The beauty of casserole dishes like lasagna is that you can make them ahead of time and store in the freezer. And Instant Pot Lasagna is a perfect meal prep solution.

You can either assemble it and freeze until you are ready to cook, or  you can fully cook your Instant Pot Lasagna, let it cool and then freeze for later. Both options help you save time and will simplify your life on those hectic weeknights.

Freezing Uncooked Instant Pot Lasagna:

  • Assemble the lasagna following the first 4 steps in this recipe.
  • Cover the lasagna with freezer-safe plastic wrap. Wrap the plastic around the entire dish, to make sure there are no gaps in the wrap where air could get in and cause freezer burn.
  • Then cover the entire dish with aluminum foil and store in freezer for up to 3 months.

Freezing Cooked Instant Pot Lasagna:

  • Cook your Instant Pot Lasagna according to the directions in this recipe.
  • Let lasagna cool to room temperature. Transfer to a freezer-safe dish.
  • Cover the lasagna with freezer-safe plastic wrap and then cover the entire dish with aluminum foil. Place in freezer.
  • You can also divide your cooked lasagna into individual portions and place each portion in a Ziploc freezer safe bag. Make sure to squeeze out all the extra air and seal the bags tightly.
  • Stored properly, your cooked Instant Pot Lasagna can be kept in the freezer up to 3 months.

To Thaw and Reheat Instant Pot Lasagna

  • Remove your Instant Pot Lasagna from the freezer and place in the fridge so it can thaw for at least 8 hours or overnight.
  • To reheat cooked lasagna in the microwave: take the lasagna out of the metal springform pan and place in a microwave-safe container to reheat according to the microwave’s instructions.
  • To reheat cooked lasagna in the oven: remove foil and plastic wrap. Reheat in a preheated 350F / 176C oven for 20mins.
  • To reheat cooked lasagna in the Instant Pot: remove foil and plastic wrap. And add 1 cup water to the inner pot, cover the springform pan with an new piece of foil and place on trivet. Close lid, set valve to sealing and cook on high pressure for 6-8 mins.

one serving of Instant Pot Lasagna cut from the whole dish and served on a white plate with a parsley garnish

What to Serve with Instant Pot Lasagna

Instant Pot Broccoli.

Air Fryer Brussels Sprouts.

Green Beans, Roasted Vegetables and Almond Salad.

 

More Instant Pot Recipes

Instant Pot Cheesy Garlic Butter Spaghetti.

Intant Pot Ramen.

Instant Pot Mac and Cheese.


Thank you for reading my Instant Pot Lasagna recipe post. And please come visit again as I continue dreaming up recipes, traditional African recipes, African fusion recipes, Sierra Leone recipes, travel plans and much more for you. Thanks for supporting Recipes from a Pantry, UK food blog.

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4.86 from 7 votes

Instant Pot Lasagna

Instant Pot Lasagna is an easy and delicious Italian recipe ready in 30 mins!
Prep Time10 minutes
Cook Time20 minutes
Total Time30 minutes
Course: Dinner, Main Course
Cuisine: American, Italian, Western
Servings: 6
Calories: 579kcal
Author: Bintu Hardy

Ingredients

  • 1 lb (450g) ground beef
  • 1.5 tsp Italian herb spices
  • 0.5 tsp garlic seasoning
  • 0.5 tsp onion powder
  • salt
  • pepper
  • 25 oz (700ml) jar of marinara / herb spaghetti sauce
  • 1 cup (250g) cottage or ricotta cheese
  • 1 cup (100g) grated mozzarella cheese
  • 1 cup (120g) grated Parmesan cheese
  • 1 box of oven-ready lasagna noodles

Instructions

  • Turn the Instant Pot on to sauté, add the ground beef and brown.
  • Remove any liquid from the beef and add in Italian seasoning, onion powder and garlic powder and switch off the heat. Stir in the spaghetti sauce.
  • Mix the cheeses together in a small bowl.
  • Grab a 7-inch springform pan and layer ingredients:
    Start with noodles broken up to fit the pan, and then one third of the ground beef mixture and 1 third of the cheese. Repeat with a 2nd layer starting again with the noodles, then meat sauce then cheese. Finally make your 3rd layer and Cover the lasagna with foil.
  • Add 1 1/2 cups of water to Instant Pot. Put the covered lasagna pan on top of trivet and lower into the Instant Pot insert.
  • Place the lid on top and close. Make sure valve is set to sealing. Set the manual pressure cook button to 20 mins.
  • Once the timer beeps let the pressure release naturally for 10 mins then quick pressure release.
  • Carefully remove the lasagna from the Instant Pot. Remove foil and cook under the broiler for a few mins until the cheese is brown and bubbly.
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Notes

Instant Pot Lasagna Tips
  • Cook time does not include time to come up to pressure or for pressure to release.
  • Covering the lasagna will help with any condensation that may occur in the Instant Pot.
  • Break the lasagna noodles into pieces to fit into the pan and don’t worry about perfection.
  • You can customise by adding various veggies and different meat like Italian sausage or ground turkey.
  • You can swap out cottage cheese for ricotta cheese.
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What to Serve with Instant Pot Lasagna
Instant Pot Broccoli.
Air Fryer Brussels Sprouts.
Green Beans, Roasted Vegetables and Almond Salad.

Nutrition

Calories: 579kcal | Carbohydrates: 41g | Protein: 35g | Fat: 30g | Saturated Fat: 14g | Cholesterol: 103mg | Sodium: 1078mg | Potassium: 768mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 6g | Vitamin A: 980IU | Vitamin C: 8.4mg | Calcium: 408mg | Iron: 4.1mg

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Recipe Rating




8 Comments

  1. 5 stars
    Looks amazing, but I think I’m missing something. Do you clean the instant pot between the meat sauce and inserting the form with the layered lasagna?

  2. 4 stars
    Very helpful article, Thank you for sharing. I love you
    ………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………

  3. 5 stars
    This is brilliant! I love your easy to follow steps and I can’t wait to give this a try!